The Blood Rite

Chapter Thirty

"Ruby," Halle squealed, "your skin!" She jumped up off of the bed and grabbed Ruby's arm. If she could have, Ruby would have warmed the light or done something with it. However, the most she could do was dim and relight it. Halle gasped, "I can feel the light touch my skin. What is this?"

"Uh," Ruby blushed, "I think it's the moon."

"The moon? Ruby, you're the moon?" Halle was grinning wildly, her cheeks flushed and eyes reflecting Ruby's light.

She laughed, "No, I think it's just the moon's light." Ruby was after all, borrowing this power from nature. "That's not what I wanted to show you." She gestured to the stars around them.

Brows furrowed Halle turned and froze, her eyes going wide as she took in the sight before her. A single breath escaped her before the biggest smile Ruby had ever seen broke out on her face. "Ruby," she breathed in pure amazement.

Ruby smiled too and watched as the stars moved. Some would gather into pairs to move in a waltz formation, others would join as a group and dance or jump around. All of them were moving. Then, with a tilt of her wrist, Ruby made them form lines, one on top of the other, and move around the room, mimicking waves.

"What's your favorite animal?"

Halle blinked and it took her a moment to respond, "Um, a gazzelle!" The stars stopped their wave pattern and together formed three leaping gazelles racing in circles around them. Halle gasped, then started giggling, "This is amazing!"

Ruby shrugged, "Thank you."

"No, Ruby," Halle turned to her, "I'm serious. This is truly amazing."

She laughed, "I believe you!"

Halle stayed for hours afterwards, watching Ruby practice whatever ideas she had or that Halle offered. "Can you push the light out from beneath your skin?"

"Maybe," Ruby said, gnawing on her cheek. She lifted her arms, visualizing the light moving away from her into something corpreal. Usually visualization alone could get her power to cooperate, but this seemed like something else. She frowned.

"It's okay, you'll get it with time," Halle offered, a gentle smile on her face.

Ruby nodded. Then, with her power still surrounding them, she sat beside Halle and said, "How's air going?"

Halle laughed, "Good. It took a long time to actually get it to obey me and it still won't at times."

"Obey? Like an animal?"

"Kind of. Nature can be its own beast can't it? And air, well it influences everything. At least thats what Erik tells me. I just think all of the elements have their own personalities and mine is stubborn."

Ruby huffed out a laugh, "That's a unique way of looking at it." She would rather blame nature for her struggle with her power than herself.

Halle smiled, "Watch this." She sat up right, lifting her hands and facing them to a particular part of the room. The air stirred and the vase on her coffee table rose. Halle's hand revolved and so did the vase.

She moved both hands and suddenly nearly every item in the room rose.

Ruby's mouth parted as she watched, "Wow, Halle. That's awesome. You've made so much progress!"

Halle smiled, "I know. I'm still learning," she lowered her palms and gently set Ruby's stuff back on the floor. "I'm trying to figure out how to make mini-tornados."

"You can do that?"

She shrugged, "I mean yeah. I just have maniupulate the temperatures, use the water that is in the air to make little clouds, and start forming a small cyclone. How hard can it be?"

Ruby laughed, "Yes, how hard could it be?" Halle shoved her, smiling wildly. "How can you manipulate water if it isn't your element?"

"Because all I have to do is use the moisture that is already in the air. So therefore, it is in my territory."

"Wow. I might need some of your creativity to help with my power."

Halle lifted her chin and gave Ruby a pious grin, "Of course."

They continued playing with their powers, even trying to merge them, as the hours passed. At first they were standing as Ruby had her stars form a tiger that raced towards Halle who tried to fend it off with laughter and strong winds. When Halle was using a breeze to make Ruby's stars shake they were sitting, yawns slipping from their mouths. By the end of the night they'd lied down and fallen asleep, dreaming of gentle breezes and night skies.

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Wow that sounds fun!

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